SCRIPTURE:
“In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, ‘I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.’ So, David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, ‘Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?’ So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.’”
2 Samuel 10:1-4
OBSERVATION:
Wow, Hanun sure jumped to a wrong conclusion that sealed his fate and that of his people, all based on misinformation. In this case, letting David’s reputation bring pre-judgment without facts. Furthermore, his jumping to conclusions prompted him to overreact with actions that were over the top and needless. All this assumption based on lack of facts, seeking the facts, or interaction prior to jumping to conclusions.
APPLICATION:
This is a great reminder for me not to jump to conclusions without knowing facts, and to either give people the benefit of the doubt or to investigate situations first before judging people. Unlike Hanun, I don’t want to be influenced by one’s reputation, what I heard, and appearance either. An emotional response is often the knee jerk reaction and although it may not be as over the top as Hanun, I want to prevent from letting misperception cause me to react prematurely. If we take account, how often do we draw conclusions based on hearsay, reputation, and outward appearances. Hanun would have been better off to graciously usher them back to where they came from rather then offend them and David. Likewise, perhaps in these situations if I don’t know the facts and am skeptical, I can also process my perceptions, conclusions, and judgment to graciously divert inappropriate thoughts and even actions, or step back and away.
PRAYER:
Lord, I pray for discernment and wisdom that I not be one that jumps to conclusions, but seek facts and your guidance in relation to others actions and intentions.
